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1 October 2008 Age- and sex-based variation in helminth infection of helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) with comments on Swainson's spurfowl (Pternistis swainsonii) and Orange River francolin (Scleroptila levaillantoides)
Owen R. Davies, Kerstin Junker, Raymond Jansen, Timothy M. Crowe, Joop Boomker
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Abstract

Gastrointestinal tracts from 48 helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris), five Swainson's spurfowl (Pternistis swainsonii) and a single Orange River francolin (Scleroptila levaillantoides) were examined for helminth parasites. Twelve species of helminths were found in helmeted guineafowl, comprising six nematodes, five cestodes and a single acanthocephalan. Six species of nematodes were recovered from Swainson's spurfowl and a single nematode was recovered from the Orange River francolin. First-year guineafowl had more than twice the intensity of infection than did adult guineafowl, particularly regarding the acanthocephalan Mediorhynchus gallinarum, the caecal nematodes Subulura dentigera and S. suctoria, and the cestodes Octopetalum numida, Hymenolepis cantaniana and Numidella numida. Female guineafowl had significantly higher intensities of infection than males, especially concerning M. gallinarum, S. dentigera and N. numida and the nematode Gongylonema congolense. The recovery of the cestode Retinometra sp. from helmeted guineafowl constitutes a new host-parasite record.

Owen R. Davies, Kerstin Junker, Raymond Jansen, Timothy M. Crowe, and Joop Boomker "Age- and sex-based variation in helminth infection of helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) with comments on Swainson's spurfowl (Pternistis swainsonii) and Orange River francolin (Scleroptila levaillantoides)," South African Journal of Wildlife Research 38(2), 163-170, (1 October 2008). https://doi.org/10.3957/0379-4369-38.2.163
Received: 7 April 2008; Accepted: 1 August 2008; Published: 1 October 2008
KEYWORDS
gastrointestinal helminths
Numida meleagris
Pternistis swainsonii
Scleroptila levaillantoides
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